Steven Spielberg described the production of his new sci-fi film, “Ready Player One,” as “perhaps the greatest anxiety attack I ever had,” while introducing the movie at South by Southwest on Sunday.

The Oscar-winning director also called himself a “gamer,” and explained how he wants the virtual-reality-based film to appeal to both video game enthusiasts and everyday audiences.

“I’ve been a gamer ever since 1974, when I played the first Pong Game on Martha’s Vineyard while filming ‘Jaws,'” Spielberg said.

Steven Spielberg gave a surprise introduction to the South by Southwest premiere of his new sci-fi film, “Ready Player One,” on Sunday, during which he described the film’s production as “perhaps the greatest anxiety attack I ever had,” IndieWire reports.

Adapted from a best-selling 2011 novel of the same name, “Ready Player One” is set in a dystopian Earth in the year 2044, where the population lives primarily in a virtual-reality world called the OASIS.

Spielberg told the SXSW audience that he wanted to make a movie that would appeal to both video game enthusiasts and everyday audiences, and he described himself as a “gamer.”

“I’ve been a gamer ever since 1974, when I played the first Pong Game on Martha’s Vineyard while filming ‘Jaws,'” he said.

The Oscar-winning director not only described the production of “Ready Player One” as anxiety-inducing, but also expressed anxiety for viewing the film with the South by Southwest audience.

“When I make a movie that I direct behind the camera … I am pretty much in control,” he said. “But when I decided to make a movie sitting in the audience with you, and I direct a film in the seat right next to you, that means I’m making the picture for you. And your reaction is everything.”